Dad is now with another family! New Year’s Eve came with tears in our eyes…
I rarely saw my father, and those times were purely by chance…
My parents once deeply loved each other. Their love was genuine and strong, and they spent nearly 15 years together. I, their only son, came into their lives during that time.
When I was eight, my mum sat across from me one day, silent for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh and saying, “Son, your dad loves another woman now. It’s just going to be you and me…”
I couldn’t grasp what that truly meant. How could someone just leave? I thought parents couldn’t stop loving each other, that family was forever. I held onto hope that dad would have second thoughts and come back… But he never did.
Mum worked tirelessly to make sure we had everything we needed. She took on two jobs because her pride wouldn’t let her take any money from dad. She’d say she could manage, yet I’d catch her late at night, sitting by the window, lost in thought. Maybe thinking about the past. Or contemplating how we’d go forward.
As for dad… he had a new life. There was another woman and her daughter, about my age. He probably loved her. They must have laughed together, gone on walks, taken holidays, celebrated special occasions at beautifully set tables. All I had were those rare, fleeting meetings that seemed like mere shadows of my old life.
The same thing happened at the end of last year.
After a dull and melancholic Christmas, mum and I went out for a walk around town. She was smiling, saying the air felt different, like a holiday scent was in it. But her eyes revealed a longing sadness. We wandered into shops, admired the displays, but didn’t buy anything. We had little money, and mum pretended we didn’t need a thing.
We paused outside a jewellery shop. I gazed at the dazzling displays until a familiar figure caught my eye.
Dad.
He stood there, smiling, picking something out and examining boxes of gold rings and bracelets. I wanted to call out to him but froze when I saw the woman beside him. Her daughter was gleefully trying on a new ring while dad paid.
He was gifting them presents… In that moment, I realized he really did have another family. He was happy with them; it was as if we no longer even crossed his mind.
I tugged on mum’s hand, silently gesturing towards the shop.
Mum noticed them. Her fingers instinctively tensed. She quickly turned away, walking on as if she hadn’t seen them at all.
We went back home. The fridge held a few items—mum took out half a pound of mince and some potatoes and made shepherd’s pie. I sat at the table, silent.
We welcomed the New Year, just the two of us. Outside, the city was alive with fireworks, people exchanging greetings, while we just sat in silence. Each of us lost in our own thoughts.
Holidays used to be so different. We used to be a family.
But why were our eyes now filled with tears?
